About Me

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

What Being Sick has Taught Me

I decided to change things up and add a new layout for the blog for a limited time. I have been blogging since 2009 and wanted all of you to see how this blog has progressed from a life/reflection blog to running and healthy living. Things I have learned over the past week:

I haven't been able to run 5 days in a row due to sickness and I know its going to be a challenge to get back into it but these words are encouraging to me! (Thank you Pinterest!)

I can't wait to get out there again! Maybe this Friday if my body feels up for it :-) I recently was diagnosed with Gastroenteritis (stomach flu) and have been enduring the symptoms since Sunday morning. Its hard to not be able to go for a run and be clammed up in the house but I know its what my body needs right now. I have always looked to running as my time to clear my head, but being sick, I realized that just a breath of fresh outdoor air and a good nap sometimes can have the same effect. Today was the first day I had an appetite :-)

This sickness has taught me to be aware of what I am putting in and not putting in my body. When I first became sick, I didn't eat for almost 48 hours and Bryan helped me to realize that this was not good. Even if I didn't have an appetite, I needed to get something in my stomach to help absorb the virus and nourish my body back to health. He was so supportive and brought me Publix subs and visited me every day after work.

Sometimes I lose sight of what's important in life. Sometimes my views are skewed about my body, and my fitness. I have thoughts that my exercise is one of the few things that will allow me to be truly happy and confident. I realized that this is wrong thinking. I feel confident even without running. I do LOVE the sport, but when I can't run that's okay too. It was good to re-assess my thoughts and realize that my thinking about exercise was skewed. I feel like being sick helped me to rationalize my thinking about exercise again and lighten up on myself if I miss a workout every once in a while.

Sometimes when everything in my life seems to be spiraling out of control, I get a tendency to want to control something in my life - usually my body and my exercise habits. Usually I start to feel great... at first. I start eating healthy, exercising every single day, getting my weight under control but before I know it: these things are controlling me. I start dropping weight, losing sleep, and thinking irrationally. Before I know it, I am too thin, and treating my body unhealthily. I am determined not to let this happen again as it did in the past.